A Hero in all of us
They teach you, ad nauseum, about the doctor-patient relationship. Ze sacred bond, a delicate dance of trust, expertise, care, (insert whatever word makes you feel good). What they don’t tell you is that a third party often crashes this waltz: the insurance company, usually in the form of a hulking, Jabba the Hutt-esque entity like United Health Care.
These overlords of our healthcare system have a simple motto: “Profits over Patients.” They’re the bouncers at The Club Modern Medicine (TM), and if your name’s not on the list (or if your pre-authorization form is in the wrong font?), you’re not getting in. They’re the reason we will all eventually spend more time on paperwork than with patients (can we make AI do all that stuff in the future? Hey, startup idea!). And if the computer says no? Well, it's joever.
Which brings me to the current case of Dr. Potter, a breast and recon surgeon who apparently committed the cardinal sin of… well, being an honest, good doctor. From what I can gather (with my low IQ), Dr. Potter had the audacity to question the system, to put her patients’ well-being ahead of the bottom line. And for her troubles, she’s now facing a legal battle.
Take a listen to this exchange: https://x.com/EPotterMD/status/1943733126741557576
It’s enough to make any medical student wonder if they should have just gone to law school instead (raises hands). At least then, they'd be on the winning side of the dirty invoice. [just realized there is a whole cottage industry of cheese loving doctors that work for (read sell out to) Insurance companies; Dr. Potter totally Leia chokeholds these yahoos]
So, as a good and responsible boy I was raised to be, I promptly went and donated a grand total of $10 to her cause (thank you fed loans!). I think I'll be fine after 2304982% of interest accrues on this for 8 years...Anyways, anyone can check her gofundme link and read the ridiculous ongoing ordeal.
Whitecoat Lothario on the list baby!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make some Anki cards. Or maybe I’ll just watch reruns of Scrubs till the new season drops. It’s probably more educational.
